How I put my Allbirds insoles into my Rothy's flats and created the ultimate flats! You must try this Rothy’s Allbirds hack!

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Hi friends! A few months back, a wise commenter (ABP) recommended for us to put Allbirds insoles into our Rothy’s flats. I finally did that, and I think I may have created the ultimate pair of flats! Thanks to ABP, my feet are rejoicing!

Here’s the hack. If you have a pair of Allbirds insoles, you can slip them into your Rothy’s flats. (It won’t work with the Rothy’s points since the Rothy’s points insoles are, well, pointy. See picture below.)

Left: Allbirds insole. | Middle: Rothy’s flats insole. | Right: Rothy’s point insole.

Allbirds insoles are made with merino wool and castor bean oil. They are soft and provide more cushioning than Rothy’s “foam” insoles, which are made from castor oil and recycled materials. (We’re not exactly sure what those materials are.) My Rothy’s insoles feel more like thread wrapped over hard cardboard than foam. Note the differences in thickness below, especially at the arch and heel areas. The Rothy’s insoles are uniformly flat.

Left: Allbirds insoles. | Right: Rothy’s insoles.

I put my Allbirds Tree Topper insoles into my Rothy’s flats. Now while I have always loved my Rothy’s flats, I have always felt they needed a little more cushioning. Yes, they’re flats, but they’re just too… flat. Your feet feel all the impact from the ground (ground reaction forces). So when they’re striking down on concrete, the concrete is striking back. With Rothy’s flats, there’s ultimately just a thin layer of cushioning between your feet and the ground.

My Allbirds insoles (size 8 in Women) fit perfectly inside my Rothy’s flats (size 8.5 in Women)

With Rothy’s flats and points, I’ve always gone at least a half a size bigger. With Allbirds, I tend to stay true to my size and never size up. My pair of size 8 (Women) Allbirds insoles rested perfectly inside my size 8.5 (Women) Rothy’s flats.

Which one is Allbirds? Which one is Rothy’s?

Left: Allbirds Tree Breezers. | Right: Rothy’s flats with Allbirds insoles

See the toe humps? The material around those humps is thinning. Soon there will be a hole in each shoe!

My Rothy’s flats have always been my go-to shoe. For one, they’re made from recycled plastic water bottles! They’re also great for wider feet and are machine-washable! However, here are some of their shortcomings:

• They become stinky quickly.

• They provide too little cushioning for the heel and for people with flatter feet.

• They are expensive starting at USD 125.

When Allbirds Tree Breezers came out, I thought I had found the perfect flats! They tend to get stinky less quickly, and provide more heel and flat feet cushioning. They’re machine-washable and less expensive, priced at USD 95. However, here are their shortcomings:

• The toe box is too narrow, forcing in my big toe.

• TOE HUMPS! The material around the big toe area is already thinning out.

• The Breezers seem less sturdier.

Wash after wash, wear after wear, my Rothy’s flats retain their shape. After adding in Allbirds insoles, my Rothy’s flats are supremely comfortable and my go-to-sockless-shoes. So if you’re looking for the ultimate pair of flats, may I suggest you try a pair of Rothy’s flats (not the Merino-line!) and purchase a pair of Allbirds insoles to replace the Rothy’s insoles.

My Rothy’s flats feel so much more comfy with the Allbirds insoles. Felt like I was walking on clouds all day long!

Let me know if you’ll try this hack, or have done it already. Happy walking, friends!